This application relates to suture anchors and more particularly to knotless suture anchors.
Suture anchors are commonly employed to attach soft tissue such as tendons or ligaments to bone. For instance, in a rotator cuff repair suture is passed through a detached or damaged portion of a rotator cuff tendon. A suture anchor is implanted into the adjacent bone. By attaching the suture to the anchor the tendon is pulled into contact with the bone to promote adhesion of the tendon to the bone.
Such procedures are often performed arthroscopically through a narrow cannula. This reduces trauma to the patient but makes attachment of the suture to the anchor using a knot more difficult. Knotless suture anchors may be employed which allow a surgeon to tension the suture to a desired degree and then affix to suture to the anchor without having to tie a knot. A typical knotless anchor is shown in US Patent Publication No. 20080033460 wherein the suture is trapped between an inner member and outer member of an anchor in coaxial relation to one another. While such anchors work well their complexity increases manufacturing cost and makes it difficult to form the anchor of bioabsorbable materials which often are more frangible and less strong than metals or traditional polymers.